anittrust

Senators warn NFL about resisting blackout policy changes

Despite the FCC voting to repeal the NFL's decades-old blackout protection, the league still has the power to include sellout provisions in TV contracts. However, if it chooses to do so, a pair of US Senators warn that it could lose its antitrust exemption and tax benefits. In a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell yesterday, Senators John McCain and Richard Blumenthal urge the league to end the policy that's "no longer justified in today's environment" by nixing "rules that punish those same fans." The Senators have already introduced a bill that ties the NFL's perks to its complete elimination of the blackout rules in last year's Furthering Access and Networks for Sports (FANS) Act. "If the NFL fails to show leadership to finally end blackouts once and for all, Congress will be forced to act," the letter continues. It'll certainly be interesting to see how Goodell reacts, but he's got his hands full with a load of other issues, too. [Photo credit: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images]